M
The older I get, and the more parenting experience I rack up, the more I notice how my upbringing effects most aspects of my life. I see it in how I think, how I react, what I teach my kids, my taste in books or movies or music...it’s in everything, including what I actively avoid- things I was raised with, but choose to reject now.
I’m sure this is true for many people, but I know there are also cases where someone completely rebels against their upbringing...sometimes for the best, sometimes not.
I thought it would be interesting to hear how others were brought up, and how much that experience influences them now. I’m not asking for a complete history, though feel free to share as much or as little as you like. Mostly I’m just, you know, curious about people
For myself, I was raised in a small town, mostly by my mom. She divorced my dad when I was 7, and within a year was dating/living with the man who became my step-dad. My mom’s parents and siblings played a huge role in our lives; we spent as much time with them as we did at home. My dad drifted out of our lives after a few years, and I didn’t get along with my stepdad as a teenager. I was majorly lacking in strong male role models, aside from my grandpa (who I was afraid of despite him being a good man). The women I grew up learning from are very strong- very opinionated- and overwhelming in a group.
By the time I married my husband, I was totally confused about marriage and respect. I thought I was supposed to be in control, the queen of my castle. I didn’t know how to respect my husband because I’d never seen that in action. The idea of submitting was foreign, though I was raised going to church and thought I knew what the Bible said. I was also constantly looking for approval- from men, because I never had that; from women, because I was the only female in my family who Wasn’t tough, and I felt kind of forgotten about by them.
This is just one aspect of my upbringing that stands out in my mind (probably because it took so long to straighten myself out from it)- there are many things that were good, though- I’d say there were more good than bad things.
So...what about you?
I’m sure this is true for many people, but I know there are also cases where someone completely rebels against their upbringing...sometimes for the best, sometimes not.
I thought it would be interesting to hear how others were brought up, and how much that experience influences them now. I’m not asking for a complete history, though feel free to share as much or as little as you like. Mostly I’m just, you know, curious about people
For myself, I was raised in a small town, mostly by my mom. She divorced my dad when I was 7, and within a year was dating/living with the man who became my step-dad. My mom’s parents and siblings played a huge role in our lives; we spent as much time with them as we did at home. My dad drifted out of our lives after a few years, and I didn’t get along with my stepdad as a teenager. I was majorly lacking in strong male role models, aside from my grandpa (who I was afraid of despite him being a good man). The women I grew up learning from are very strong- very opinionated- and overwhelming in a group.
By the time I married my husband, I was totally confused about marriage and respect. I thought I was supposed to be in control, the queen of my castle. I didn’t know how to respect my husband because I’d never seen that in action. The idea of submitting was foreign, though I was raised going to church and thought I knew what the Bible said. I was also constantly looking for approval- from men, because I never had that; from women, because I was the only female in my family who Wasn’t tough, and I felt kind of forgotten about by them.
This is just one aspect of my upbringing that stands out in my mind (probably because it took so long to straighten myself out from it)- there are many things that were good, though- I’d say there were more good than bad things.
So...what about you?